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Any formal events I'm invited to in the U.S., usually provide a start and end time. However, the ones in Asia don't. They end parties and event whenever they deem is appropriate. They won't abruptly end it just because of some ending time listed on an invitation.

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When I was traveling in Vietnam, our tour guide was extremely flexible. There was a plan of where we should go but the plan was not binding in any way. If there was somewhere that interested us while we traveled from one destination to another, he would always allow us to go there and look around instead.

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The sign below is one of many waiting time indicators at Disney's Theme Parks.  It is incredibly specific because Americans are extremely concerned about time, and they like to know exactly when things start and end, so they can plan their schedule accordingly.

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Most of my classes have a very strict lesson plan. On any given day, we have a specific lesson that we are learning and we will only cover it that specific day. Even if it is difficult and students are not really grasping the material, we will still have to move on to stick to the schedule. The deadlines are very rigid and a lot of emphasis is placed on sticking to the schedule.

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Horoscope readings are an example of outer because some people read these and allow something as simple as the day they were born dictate their entire course, whether it be what color to wear for the day or who to fall in love with.

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In an environment where she is considered inferior, Rosa Parks did not let that stop her from doing what she wants and sitting at the front of the bus. She knew that society was being unfair and followed her conscience.

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Some asian cultures believe that the house number of one's permanent address decides if one will be prosperous or not while residing there. The ideal is for the second digit of an address to be the number 9 or as close to 9 as possible. For example, the address below shows 16, so taking the second digit, this house is "valued" at a 6. 9 is desired because it is the highest single digit possible, symbolizing the highest amount of prosperity and luck possible.

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Mulan had a pre-determined path society set for her based on gender. However, she knew that the domesticated life wasn't for her, so she decides to follow her gut and make her own destiny.

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Celebrities' children are examples of having status ascribed because they didn't do anything, but will still get their name in the media for the rest of their lives. Everyone will know their names and what they look like, and they'll receive fame and fortune despite being only a mere infant.

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A lot of CEOs are self-achieved, meaning they did not inherit the company from family, but rather built it from the ground up. They achieved their superior status by their own merit.

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The caste system in India is extremely rigid. Your status/group is what you're born into and it's close to impossible to move up the caste. Those in higher positions did not have to do anything to get there. They were basically given that position because they were born into a privileged family.

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During graduation, usually only salutatorians and valedictorians are recognized for their achievement, because they are to give speeches. They got to their positions using their own effort. It wasn't a status they were born with.

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1957

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Beauty pageants demonstrate specificity, because although beauty is extremely subjective, pageants always find a way to crown the winner based on a specific set of standards.

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In certain parts of Asia, it is not uncommon for teachers to personally pay a visit to their students' homes to discuss the students' progress in schools or express any concerns. This is a very diffuse mindset compared to the U.S., which clearly establishes the boundaries of a teacher. With specificity, the role of a teacher ends at school. However, diffuse cultures sees the role of a teacher as expanding to other parts of a student's life and development.

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This commercial is seemingly aimless and you don't realize what it is advertising until the very end. The ad beats around the bush, but still eventually gets its point across. This is an example of diffuseness in Japanese culture, which values abstractness and often finds things that are straight to the point "boring" or unappealing.

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The U.S. has a particularly rigid definition of what professionalism is. Formal business meetings are expected to be conducted in a "professional" manner, where the mention of personal, private matters are deemed inappropriate. This displays a specific mindset. However in cultures such as Latin America's, personal details are  acceptable to start a conversation, get comfortable, and break the ice.

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Group projects are another example of communitarianism in that that person who contributed the most to the project and the person who did nothing will get the same grade. If it is a collective group's grade, everyone will get the same score regardless of effort, which requires sacrifice from the hard-workers so that the overall group's grade increases and the slackers get a free ride.

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Exam scores are an example of individualism. You work for you own grade and no one else's. The benefit is your own. This allows the superior ones to rise above. They do not have to make any sacrifices for the other test takers. However, the ones with superior scores can give back by tutoring others, to improve the class average.

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Teamwork requires each team member to have a common objective. Some sacrifices may be made by superior individuals, however it is necessary for the benefit of the whole team. If one person wins, the whole team wins.

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In workplaces, if someone puts in more effort than everyone else, that person's efforts will be individually recognized, and only that person will get a promotion. No one else is awarded for this one person's efforts.

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Jaywalking is illegal in most states. However, when there are no cars or no one around to enforce the law, no one cares if it's illegal or not. This is particularism because the law may be taken lightly or seriously depending on the situation.

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For the most part, licensing/certifications in the U.S. are solely based on performance. It doesn't matter what kind of a person you are or what you plan to use the certification for, as long as you pass the exam and complete the process, you'll get it. This is universalism because there are not many exceptions to the standards for obtaining certifications such as driver licenses.

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Teachers try their best to ensure fairness among students by (somewhat)
strictly adhering to their grading scale. This is universalism because there is a set rule that is followed regardless of the situation, regardless of how hardworking or lazy the student is.

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College applications are typically judged on a case by case basis. There may be some set standards, such as GPA or test scores, but even then, reviewers may overlook some of these standards if they see a different trait that makes up for it. This is an example of particularism, because rules and standards are being bent and disregarded depending on the situation.

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Hi! My name is Annie Nguyen and I'm currently a freshman majoring in Biochemistry. I was born in Vietnam in the busy and polluted city of Saigon. When I was eight, my family and I moved to the U.S. to live with my grandparents, but before settling in Dallas, Texas, we also lived in California and Florida. Vietnamese is my native language, and I speak it at home. However, since I moved when I was so young, I have the vocabulary of a kid in elementary school. Also, thanks to our public school system, I have the Spanish vocabulary of a toddler. To be totally honest, what initially made me interested in this class was the global cultures flag stamped next to it. However, that was not the determining factor. I voluntarily took a human geography class in high school, in which I learned a lot about different cultures and conflicts around the world, and I was completely enamored. I remember being most intrigued by the Middle East and Latin America, so this class seemed like a perfect fit. I look forward to learning more about not only the Latin American culture, but also how to better interact and understand the people of the world around me.